Utah man accused of exposing himself on plane

SALT LAKE CITY >>
A man faces federal charges of lewd and obscene behavior on an aircraft
after being accused of exposing himself to a woman next to him on a
flight to Salt Lake City.

The woman seated beside Stuart Ronald
Clarke, of Provo, on a Delta Air Lines flight from Minneapolis in
November reported the behavior to flight attendants, according to a
search warrant request from the FBI that was made public this week.

Clarke,
49, left the airport upon arriving but told investigators two days
later that he accidentally rubbed peppermint oil on his private parts.
He said he put the oil on his forehead to get rid of a headache and then
went to the bathroom with the oil still on his hands.

He felt
burning after that, he told investigators, and put his coat over himself
as he began scratching and adjusting his groin area, the documents
show. He acknowledged to investigators that he unbuttoned his jeans as
he became uncomfortable.

When investigators asked Clarke why he
didn't go back to the bathroom to fix the problem, Clarke said water
would have only made it worse.

Clarke has pleaded not guilty, said
his attorney, Matt Jube. The Provo lawyer said he believes Clarke is a
credible person and they plan to take the case to trial.

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Anonymouswrote:

This comment has been deleted.

on August 16,2013 | 05:42PM

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BRockwrote:

My sentiments also.

on August 16,2013 | 06:13PM

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2NDCwrote:

Dam those folk remedies! :-O

on August 16,2013 | 10:58PM

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mynahwrote:

ck to see if there is peppermint on his groin.

on August 17,2013 | 12:08AM

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OldDiverwrote:

The authorities will be sniffing for evidence.

on August 17,2013 | 03:28PM

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cojefwrote:

Wonder if it was really a jock itch that gave him a headache problem?

on August 17,2013 | 07:21AM

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DABLACKwrote:

Could it may have been "Crabs" ????

on August 17,2013 | 08:49AM

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Workingrlwrote:

Why is this breaking news in hawaii???

on August 17,2013 | 09:29AM

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nodaddynotthebeltwrote:

It might be helpful for this man to take a polygraph test just to at least let the public know that he is telling the truth. The truth of the matter is that it can happen to the best of us. I admit to making faux pas that can be badly misconstrued if taken out of context. And I have made my share of those. But I know it was just a lapse of judgement. And this man's momentary lapse of judgement is now going to hang on him for life regardless of whether he proves his case or not. A news story regarding a man who was falsely imprisoned because his girlfriend accused him of rape is an example of how this witch hunt mentality can really be disastrous. This man had a huge professional football career ahead of him but his girlfriend accused him of rape while they were in high school. The woman then admitted to him that she lied. He wasted many years behind bars for a crime he did not commit. He is now trying out with the NFL. Although teams do not want the kind of story he has to share some had the compassion to give him an opportunity. He is now trying redeem himself and hopefully he makes it in the NFL. As for the accuser, she got away with it. We hate to believe it but there are accusers who will fabricate stories in order to get attention. And many as a result have been sent to prison as a result of false accusations. We need laws to protect citizens from false accusers and they need to be held accountable. In cases where the falsely accused spends time in prison, I would think it only fair that the false accuser spend an equal amount of time in prison.

on August 17,2013 | 10:15AM

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nitpikkerwrote:

"he said-she said". even if the guy is actually YOU, only god knows the real truth. some people see "persuasion into sex" as rape while others will not. maybe the girl felt at the time that she was forced to give in, only god knows.

on August 17,2013 | 11:32AM

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MrRealisticwrote:

My whole family uses peppermint oil for all kinds of remedies, even my eleven year can handle the heat. Unless he had an one sore on his pecker, he would ave no reason to pull it out.